Appabattts fob use in assorting cigar-wrappers



T. BAER AND w. H. elm-1R.. Y APPARATUS FOR USE IN ASSORTING CIGAR WRAPPERS.

APPLICATION FILED UG1 I0. 1918.

v Millian JY 3527er a@ @my @2W/f T. BAEB'AND w.. H. BITLER.

APPARATUS FOR USE lNASSORTING CIGAR WRAPPERS. APPLICATION FILED AUG I0, 1918.

Patented May 31,1921.`

ssHEEs-SHE'ET 3.-

" THOMAS BAER Lsin) WILLIAM II. BI'TLEVR, or TERRE IIILL,v PENNSYLVANIA. 'i l Arrmrusroa UsEInAssoRTING CIGAaWRAPPEas. y*

of yLancaster and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented :new and useful Improvements in an Apparatus for Use in Assorting Cigar-Wrappers, of ywhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to'a'n apparatus for use in assorting cigar wrappers, and before kdescribing the operation, reference will` be made to the 'preparation of tobacco used in wrapping cigars' of all grades.

The wrapper grades of tobacco are the most expensive grades used in the manufacture 'of cigars and the best care is taken of these grades. The tobacco is rst placed in water and when in proper condition is then given to the workman, commonly called a lstripper 4whofremoves the stem from the leaf and places the two half leaves on piles, and afterward divides these piles into pads weighing about eight ounces. Heretofore, many cigar manufacturers gave the pads t0 the cigar maker without selecting the best leaves and never "selected leaves of equal sizes, which naturally gavebad results and caused waste. This machine will eliminate this waste by causing each pad to contain exactly enough tobacco to wrap fifty cigars.

The operator of this machine commonly f called a wrapper selector receives the stripped pads from the stripper and examines each leaf and then assorts them according to the number of cuts a. cigar maker may make to roll a cigar. (A half leaf may cut enough wrappers tol wrap or roll one, two or three cigars, according to the size and condition of the half leaf.) The selector grades these leaves of like size in piles of fifty each.

The operator assortsthe wrappertobacco into the following grades: One, two or three cuts; that is a half leaf out of which the cigar makermay cut one, two or three wrappers, each cut being further graded as most suitable for a small, medium or large cigar, thus making a total of twelve grades.

The machine includes a box like receptacle and a work table on which the leaves to be assorted are deposited, bars extending across the box, on which the leaves may be placed, a series of four registers comprising three dials with separate hands for each y Specification of Letters Patent, l.

` Application luedAugust 10,",1918. Serialv No. 274957508.i

Patented MayY 31, 17921.

dial,rand means for operatingfeach hand independently of the yother hand. y

The operator presses ak given lever Vfor each leafy assorted, and ythel hand coperating with a given dial indicates', for'instance,

aleaf representing two large cuts, two mef 1 dium cuts, or tw'o small cuts, as the case mayv be. Other dials register large single cuts, or one cuts, medium one cuts, and smallr one cuts. Still other dials register three cutslarge, medium or small.

In the drawings, Figure `l isa top plan view of the apparatus, a `portion being broken away; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line y2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 Fig. 4 is a detail View ofthe dial ofv one of the registers,-` shown merely in order to permit a thorough understanding of other-features of the construction. A y

K' The box housing the operative elements employed in connection with the w'orkspecified, is de\signated"10,'being suitably supported by legs 12 and Vhaving at the"y front thereof a work table 14 on which they leaves received by the operator forassorting are placed. y "Y l Extending across thel receptacle 10' in one direction' are bars 15 on which the leaves when assorted are placed. These barsV and the bottom and sides of the box may be covered with burlap, which is kept moist in order to keep the tobacco leaves in a moist condition. f

Extending longitudinally of the receptacle 10 are shafts 16 suitably journaled in the vertical walls, and each supporting a plurality of tubular shafts arranged concentrically and designated 20, 21, and 22. All

jof these shafts extend into a chamber 24: at the end of the receptacle 10 in which a plurality of registering devices are mounted.

Four shafts 16 mounted in the walls of the receptacle and four sets of tubular shafts are shown, and each tubular shaft is separately connected with a handyof one of the registers. Four registers are employed, one for each set of shafts, and each register includes a large dial 25, a smaller dial 26, and a dial 27 of still less diameter. The hands 28, 29 and 3() cooperate respectivel with these dials in the manner shown. ach hand is connected in any suitable manner by means of a chain 32 with a vgiven tubular shaft.

The dial whose hands are operatedfrom the large outer hollow shaft are numbered from 1 to 25 and the gearing is such that the hand makes a one-half revolution for 25 movements ofthe key described below and operated by partly rotating the shaft.

The dials whose hands are operated by the small tubular shaft 2() are numbered from 1 to 17 and so geared that the hands make one complete revolution for 34 movements of the corresponding operating lever.

The dials whose hands are operated by the hollow shaft 21 are numbered from 1 to 50 and so geared that the hands make one complete revolution for 50 movements of the corresponding lever.

Each hollow shaft carries a hand lever 35, and at any given time the levers ofthe set required may be raised to operative position.

The operator sits at the machine facing table 14 on which an open bundle or pad of the leaves is placed, and upon beginning at the first leaf, judges whether it is suitable for a large, medium or small cigar. He then hangs the leaves over one of the bars 15, allowing the ends to drop down into the receptacle in order to keep them moist by contact with the moistened burlap. At the time he withdraws his hand after depositingthe leaf, he operates that lever connected with the hand and dial on which he desires to register the leaf. Each lot of 50 leaves is then tied into pads, the operation of assorting and counting having been completed. The pads are then ready for distribution to the cigar roller.

Among the advantages of this machine, mention should be made of the fact that waste is prevented by grading the leaves so that they may be cut to the best advantage.

rEhe leaves arelikewise graded so that eachv includes only rights or lefts-those wrappers designed to be rolled with the right hand or with the left hand. The leaves are kept moist while being assorted, and the work may be more economicallyperforrned than it can be by hand or with other types of apparatus now in use.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. The combination with a plurality of leaf supporting devices spaced apart, of a plurality of sets of shafts` the shafts of each set being concentric, and each shaft being adapted for connection with a separate element of a register, and a lever connected with each shaft, some of the levers includ ing` offset extensions, whereby given levers are operable from a point adjacent given leaf supports.

2. The combination with a plurality of article supporting devices spaced apart, of a plurality of sets of shafts, the shafts of each set being concentric and differing in length from the shafts of an adjacent set, each shaft being adapted for connection with a separate element of a register, and one of the shafts of each set serving to rotatably mount the other shafts of that set, and means for operating selected shafts of various sets from a common point adjacent a given article supporting device.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

THOMAS BAER. WLLIAM H. BITLER. 

